The Album Review Club - Week #146 - (page 1935) - Ocean Rain - Echo and the Bunnymen

Well, it's not like me to make a swift judgement after a single listen, but being completely honest, one listen of this was all that I could take.

Strange really because I was genuinely intrigued and looking forward to listening to it - what's not to like when there's lots of stringed instruments including sitars, mandolins and hammered dulcimer - in fact lots of things that make my favourite album (The Lonesome Jubilee) so enjoyable?

Well in this case, the directionless vocals and lyrics don't help. They just seem to go off in odd directions and have the sound of a bloke making it up as he goes along (and not in a good way). It reminded me of that scene in Elf where Will Ferrell is singing, altering the pitch up and down, but he was doing it for comic effect. Some of the sounds coming out of this really grated with me: I mean the "singing" in "Swift as the Wind" felt like I'd stumbled into an asylum and was witnessing the unpleasant disintegration of some pour soul's mind. I was really glad when this song ended.

Apologies to @denislawsbackheel - you did say we'd either love or hate it and I'm in the latter camp. Kudos for nominating something totally different, though.

There's lots of interesting instrumentation, so I'll bump it up to a 4/10 (which shows how much I disliked the other elements!)
 
RobMCFC said:
You definitely need to have thick skin in these threads, don't you?
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If you get the chance try to find Loudon Wainwright’s on line tribute concert to George Gerdes who died recently. It’s available free on Vimeo and it’s called The Great Unknown.
About an hour in Steve Forbert does a sublime version of Gerdes’ song “Heartstrings” which is unavailable on record by anyone, even Gerdes.
Forbert’s voice is as plaintiff as ever and he does a great job of it.
 
RobMCFC said:
Nice write up. I love things with a lot of strings so I'm excited for this one.


Same here in terms of age but not the important bit, I'm afraid.

The Charlatans were OK, but does that count as Madchester?

I was in the right place at the right time for Madchester, but I didn't get what all the fuss was about to be honest. Some of the music was a bit catchy but none of them could sing. The press were trying their best to make out that this danceable rock music was some new thing but INXS had been doing this for years with one of the world's best singers.

Meanwhile I was listening to lots of American and Antipodean stuff. Still, I'm a contrary bastard at the best of times so maybe it's just me.
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A lot of the "Manchester" scene was just watered down versions of the real thing, which was the Mondays, really. It was basically the Manchester indie scene but with MDMA. The dance scene in Manchester had been going for years...Acid house had already been popular since the mid 80s.
Haha...INXS? Nah...totally different. Madchester was the working class kids getting on one. INXS were just a manufactured teeny-pop act.
 
Marklr said:
Haha...INXS? Nah...totally different. Madchester was the working class kids getting on one. INXS were just a manufactured teeny-pop act.
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I think you'll find having gigged their way through the Australian pub rock scene for nearly a decade before becoming a household name, INXS more than paid their dues! If you don't like their music, I respect that, but to call them manufactured is a bit wide of the mark, sir!
 
RobMCFC said:
I think you'll find having gigged their way through the Australian pub rock scene for nearly a decade before becoming a household name, INXS more than paid their dues! If you don't like their music, I respect that, but to call them manufactured is a bit wide of the mark, sir!
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That's nowt! S Club 7 gigged their way through the Argentinian pub rock scene for nearly a decade before coming a household name too. ;)
I get you, though... my point is just that the "Manchester" bands were the kids that were into the scene themselves....and MDMA!
 
denislawsbackheel said:
No apologies needed.
I said it was marmite and everyone’s taste is personal.
To me some of the albums previously posted were music to bore you to death but that’s ok so no offence taken if the ISB are not your cup of tea.
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Don't worry my pick is going to get a lot of low scores as well.
From 2012 as well.
Hard to change folks taste especially us old codgers.
 
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